Learning to Breath
by LilyEvans88
Summary: Lily and James were friends at the age of 10. They both moved away, and never told each other their secret. What happenes when they see each other 7 years later?


A young boy sits at the trunk of the tree in the utmost deep thought. The earth's face is beneath him, as he is looking skyward, through the sea of leaves and branches. The cool breeze causing the leaves to sway like waves crashing against the sand. Fresh, crisp air blows from the west, cooling his face from the sun's warmth. The blue sky clear. No smudges of clouds, or tears of rain.  
  
Lying in the grass, the boy sees a large dark gray glomming rain cloud, approaching from the west, an eyesore as it stained the once-perfect sky. "James!" A motherly voice called. "Come in, it looks like rain!  
  
The boy groaned contemptuously, and groggily got up and walked sulkily to his home. Sitting in his bedroom for not more than five minutes, his mother called again.  
  
"Get the door! It's probably Lily!"  
  
An 11-year old James Potter, deep black hair askew and not more than 4'9" tall, rushed downstairs to great big white doors. Seeing a redhead through the window, he immediately burst open the doors.  
  
"Hi Lily!" he squeaked.  
  
"Hey Potter!" she greeted in her always-cheerful way. "So what was the big important news you called me over for?"  
  
James's smile quickly became a frown at the mention of his "news".  
  
He looked downwards and shuffled his feet.  
  
"Lily,"  
  
"Yeah? Oh and about what we found, I have a great idea--"  
  
"I have to tell you something really important."  
  
"I know doofus, that's why I'm here."  
  
"Maybe we should sit down,"  
  
James Potter was dreading this moment. He didn't have many friends anyway.  
  
Neither did Lily. And now they wouldn't have any.  
  
Lily began to get a worried expresson---for a 10-year-old she was pretty perceptive.  
  
"James, what is it?" her eyebrow furrowed and watching her friend intently for any sign of what was to come.  
  
"Lily, what I'm about to say is going to make you hate me. But...My mom got a new job."  
  
"Oh that's great!"  
  
"...in London."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know Lils. But you know London isn't that far away and we could still visit each other--"  
  
"WoW my life sucks...What is wrong with--everything is going wrong...." muttered Lily, who hadn't heard a word he said.  
  
James looked confused. "Why? What's the matter?" he asked wondering what could possible be going on in her life that could top what was going on in his.  
  
"My father was promoted, he has been offered a position at the firm, a higher one..."  
  
"So? That's great, now--"  
  
"...in France. It's not official yet but I saw my mom going through these brochures..."  
  
"Awe man, what are we going to do?" James asked sincerely. "It's just waiting there in the forest...we have to tell somebody..."  
  
And the thought that without each other, they had no friends was implanted in his mind. Lily began to tear up and failed to cover her face with her bushy red locks.  
  
James saw tears streaming down her white face and to see her, his best friend, in pain, hurt him as well. His own eyes began to water.  
  
He felt Lily hugs him tightly, but pushed her away gently.  
  
"Here, Evans, I have something to give you," James said suddenly.  
  
"No, James you don't have to-"Lily said sniffling.  
  
"No Lily, we are friends and we ARE going to see each other again. We'll hang out and stuff, during school breaks...weekends.....anyway, I want you to have this."  
  
James pulled off a silver ring (like a band) off of his finger and gave it to Lily. It had "J.P" engraved on it.  
  
"Potter, come on don't get mushy on me..."  
  
"Just take it," he said, "And you hold on to it and give it back to me the next time we hang out. Ah, I know it's in good hands."  
  
Lily suddenly, with more tears in her eyes and her face matching her hair, began to fiddle with her necklace.  
  
"Here James-I want you to have this-it's not much but it means a lot to me and is kind of like my good luck charm."  
  
Lily gave James a black choker with a small circular medallion, with a Chinese symbol on it.  
  
"What does the symbol stand for?" he asked.  
  
Lily just smiled and gave it to him.  
  
James put it on and looked in the mirror.  
  
He checked himself out with a c0cky look. "I must say, this necklace never looked better."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Can you spell 'conceited'? "  
  
"Sure! Cun-seeee-ted. Conceited."  
  
Lily laughed for the first time that day. "ha ha...I'm going to miss that."  
  
They began to laugh but wanted to cry.  
  
When do you leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow" James said sorrowfully.  
  
"Lily, Dear!" Vivian Potter's, James's mom, voice came from the hall. "Your mother just telephoned. You're needed at home--something about an owl run amuck." And she went back into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh honestly," Lily said exasperatingly, "freaky emergencies always happen at the worst times." She then turned her angry eyes on James and they softened to a sorrowful far-away look. "I'll be here tomorrow," she said, "to say goodbye."  
  
"No you won't." James replied rather quickly.  
  
"Huh? Why not?" Lily questioned.  
  
"You'll be here, to say--to say see ya later," James corrected.  
  
He believed this. Lily on the other hand, wasn't so sure.  
  
"I really like that ring," he said, "so I'll be seeing you later. Give it back when we do. Now you better be going home to see what your mum wants."  
  
When do you leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow" James said sorrowfully.  
  
"Lily, Dear!" Vivian Potter's, James's mom, voice came from the hall. "Your mother just telephoned. You're needed at home--something about an owl run amuck." And she went back into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh honestly," Lily said exasperatingly, "freaky emergencies always happen at the worst times." She then turned her angry eyes on James and they softened to a sorrowful far-away look. "I'll be here tomorrow," she said, "to say goodbye."  
  
"No you won't." James replied rather quickly.  
  
"Huh? Why not?" Lily questioned.  
  
"You'll be here, to say--to say see ya later," James corrected.  
  
He believed this. Lily on the other hand, wasn't so sure.  
  
"I really like that ring," he said, "so I'll be seeing you later. Give it back when we do. Now you better be going home to see what your mum wants."  
  
The red head shook her head.  
  
"Honestly, you'll catch pneumonia, and your parents would throw a fit if they knew I let you out there to walk home by yourself in that. Now be sensible and let me drive you."  
  
"No," Lily replied. "I'd rather walk in the rain....by myself."  
  
She turned around, and closed the door, and walked home. All alone.  
  
Racing down the street, tears burning in her eyes, Lily hurried home as fast as her legs could carry her, running....running. Running from the dismal truth, running from what every eleven year old runs from. Reality. Loneliness. The loss of a companion. Her cheeks burned and her stomach was in knots. Lily felt sicker than she had ever felt.  
  
And she was wet.  
  
She landed on her porch, where she and James used to sit and play games on hot sunny days, with orange popsicles and candy necklaces around their necks.  
  
But they couldn't do that anymore. Not again. Sure maybe the might visit for a while, but she knew all too well that long-distance friend rarely stayed in touch and the relationship never lasted long.  
  
She cried on the porch to her heart's content. And then after crying as hard as she did, she stopped.  
  
She looked up, and somberly walked into the house to a crazed owl...  
  
The next day, James and Lily said "See ya later" to each other, like he promised.  
  
She met him at this park they always went to. Willow park. Weeping Willows surrounded the lake where the miniature waterfalls fell creating a slight mist around the gloomy trees.  
  
It was the perfect tree for the moment, James thought randomly.  
  
He and Lily stood on the bridge over the lake.  
  
"You're parents waiting?" Lily asked, struggling with all her might to hold tears back.  
  
"Yeah. Let 'em wait." James said with a hard knot in his voice and a sharp pain in his side. He glanced behind him to look at his parents who were waiting in the car....luggage in the very spacious backseat. (A/N this ringing a bell? The Weasley's charmed lil back seat.....a lil magical dont ya think?)  
  
"You'll write won't you?" came the red head. "Please say you will because-- "  
  
"I'll write. And we have to promise to visit when we can. Because if we don't--"  
  
"We'll visit." Lily assured him. She looked down and stared at her feet because if she looked into her friends sorry eyes, she knew she wouldn't be able to take it.  
  
"I don't want you to go." she said, still facing downwards.  
  
Rain began to pour slowly, then faster. Drops hitting the lake leaving ripples that grew bigger all over. Melancholy and sorrow hung in the air surrounding them. They began to get wet and were soon soaked but neither noticed. It may have been hard to understand, such a scene. But when you're eleven years old, friends are all you have. And it hurts to miss them.  
  
Both of their faces were red and wet--from tears and from the rain.  
  
"So....I guess this is it," the boy said.  
  
"Well...." she sniffed, "I'll be seeing you later."  
  
"Yeah.....later."  
  
The two children hugged tightly for a few moments, hoping this was all a dream. That they would find themselves in the back yard this time tomorrow, playing rock, paper, scissors, or riding their bikes.  
  
But they knew that was just wishful thinking.  
  
Their hug was interrupted.  
  
"James, son, it's time to go." James's father, Edward Potter, said, a part of him deeply sorry that his wife's job--no matter how happy he was for her- -would tear his son away from his devoted friend.  
  
"Bye." James turned around and walked slowly to the car. His father put a strong hand on his shoulder.  
  
"It's ok son," he said softly, "you'll still visit. We promise."  
  
Lily watched her only true friend get into his car and watched them drive away down the dirt road. She stood there in the drizzling rain, with only empty thoughts to keep her company. She somewhat regretted not telling him what happened last night.  
  
Lily couldn't tell James about what happened at her house after she left his....it would be too weird. He would probably never believe her. She barely believed it, how could he? Little did she know...  
  
Lily and James, promised by their parents, did in fact make an effort to stay in touch over the years. Every holiday they would make arrangements to see each other. Then every holiday became every other holiday, which soon became about once or twice a year, then they lost all contact. Didn't mean to, but they got caught up in their new lives that they just simply lost touch, to their regret.  
  
But every now and then something, simple things mostly, like the smell of freshly baked cookies, or kids playing soccer in the park, would stir a memory in their minds and remind one about the their long lost childhood friend. They would walk around thinking about that person who used to be their only friend, for a while, before something else occupied their mind. But they both had something. The redhead had his ring, the messy haired boy had her necklace. He would look in the mirror and be reminded of her sometimes, with the sight of that chain around his neck. And all it took was a shimmer off of his ring to remind her of him. 


End file.
